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The gods
Gods of Angleadd The people of Angleadd worship several different gods, living their life following the tenets of faith in varying degrees. The Allfather The allfather is the king of the heavens and the god of the sun. He is usually depicted as an imposing man wearing a golden hauberk and with fiery hair streaming from his head. He is worshipped mostly by the nobles and their warbands, and is often called the divine champion and the divine warlord. His temples are extremely influental throughout the kingdom, with priests and chaplains functioning as advisors to every lord from the high king and down to the lowest lord. His favoured weapon is the war spear. The lady of darkness The lady is the mistress of night and goddess of the moon. She is depicted as a tall woman veiled in black garments, never showing her face to anyone but her most favoured worshippers. She is mostly worshipped by women, but her faithful are also found amongst commonborn men. She is seen as the protector of the kingdom, keeping the creatures of the night away from the innocent and guiding the dead into the afterlife. For this reason, all burials in the kingdom are performed at dusk. Her favoured weapon is the javelin. Lord of the wild The god of forests and wild places, the lord of the wild is the dominant deity amongst the forestfolk. He is the patron of hunters and trackers, and his shrines are usually found in rural communities or secluded groves. Viewed as somewhat of a primitive god amongst many inhabitants of the kingdom, most tend to offer him a prayer if they plan a journey through the wilderness. He is usually depicted as a brooding man wearing a bearskin cloak and carrying a bow. His favoured weapon is the hunting bow. The blessed mother The mother is the goddess of agriculture, fertility and family. Depicted as a golden-haired and extremely beautiful woman, she is not so much worshipped as generally respected by every citizen in the kingdom. Noone dares to ignore her, as everyone knows this will lead to stillbirths and famines. Her clergy is most often found in the farming communities dotting the realm, but most larger cities also tend to have a temple dedicated to her within their walls. Her favoured weapon is the sickle. The keeper of knowledge The keeper is the god of craft and knowledge, resulting in that most of his worshippers are either scribes or craftsmen. He is depicted as a massively built man, wielding a hammer in one hand and a quill in the other. It is believed that he was the one who first gave man the gift of iron, and many claim that the lack of proper worship is why people like the painted ones haven't learned these secrets. His favoured weapon is the warhammer. The storm queen The queen is the goddess of storms and the ocean. Along with the Allfather she is the main deity amongst the islanders. Her depiction is usually a vague, feminine form, shrouded in mist. Anyone living along the coast tend to offer her regular sacrifices and worship, as her favor is viewed as a neccesity for those plying their trade on the sea. Her favoured weapon is the glaive. The masked one The masked one, also often called the nameless, is the god of battle, law and vengeance. His followers tend to be soldiers, but few apart from those who swear vengeance upon someone will ever worship him. The masked one is never depicted himself, but his symbol is a sword piercing a serpent. Very few temples exist in his name but his clergy and justicars are found in almost every part of the realm, tending to those who in need of the masked ones justice. His favoured weapon is the greatsword Unlawful deities The unlawful gods are those deemed heretical or otherwise unwanted in moden Angleadd. Worship of these deities are at best frowned upon, and in some cases leading to imprisonment and execution. Most nobles will deal swift justice to people found worshipping these gods in their lands. Katak, the lord of mysteries Katak is worshipped by wizards and those wanting to learn the forbidden crafts. Forever fearful of discovery, the faithful of Katak is known for holding foul rituals and ceremonies where they attempt to bind the powers of the astral realm to do their bidding. Those who follow his teachings despise the gods of Angleadd, claiming that they deny mankind the power that should rightfully be theirs. His symbol is a bolt of lighting. Menadda, lady of the craft Menadda is usually worshipped by rural wisemen and healers, claiming that it's from her the knowledge of herbs and healing come. Her followers will gladly fight any illness or woe that troubles the population, and in many cases they are left in peace from official scrutiny. Some however tend to delve into darker knowledge, performing experiments on unwilling subjects or performing services frowned upon by proper physicians. For Menadda's faithful, nothing is more important than expanding their lore, and most who follow her sooner or later cross the boundry of what is accepted. Her symbol is the mistletoe. The Reaver The reaver is the god of war and conquest. Though his worship has mostly vanished over the years, he is still venerated by scattered clans in secluded regions of the kingdom. Most of his faithful think that the current inhabitants of the kingdom has gone soft, and want to go back to the more warlike days of the past. They are notorious for their warlike ways, never surrendering or offering mercy to their opponents. Those who worship the Reaver also tend to mount raids on settlements , slaughtering any who stand against them and kidnapping potential recruits to their faith. The symbol of the reaver is two crossed axes with a single drop of blood underneath.